Keep Moving Forward
by ChibiestMoon
Summary: Edward and Alphonse Elric dream of seeing the world one day, and learning all they can about alchemy. But, before that, they just have to learn how to live normally again. A series of stories that take place between the end of the Promised Day and the days the Elrics leave for the East and West.
1. After the Rubble

The sun was setting on the Promised Day and the Elric brothers had just been admitted to the hospital by major Armstrong himself.

Ed and Al were given a joint private room so that they could be treated and recuperate together. Everything seemed to be happening so fast, it all seemed like a blur and Ed was having trouble accepting any of it as real. The one thing that kept him going was the recurring thought of Al is back, Al is back, Al is really, really back and that was enough to keep him trudging forward, past all the rubble and babbling spectators as he followed the paramedics that first carried Alphonse on a stretcher, then pushed in a wheelchair when he insisted he was not injured, and finally relocated him into a clean bed.

They had attempted to get Ed to follow them to the emergency clinic to inspect and treat his wounds but it was quickly made apparent that nothing short of death would get him to leave his brother's side and so he sat cross legged on his bed while a nervous looking nurse dabbed his cuts with antiseptic and prodded his ribs to see how many were broken.

Finally, after a lot of hemming and hawing that Ed didn't find necessary they were left alone, at least for a moment.

Ed grumbled something about the medicine really stinging when he finally looked back at his brother and saw him smiling. Ed cut himself off and couldn't help but grin back- Al was back, and actually smiling. He looked emaciated, with sunken eyes and was in desperate need of a haircut and yet still, the boy smiled.

"We really did it," Ed said solemnly.

"Yeah. We did," Alphonse replied. His gaze dropped but his small smile never faltered. Ed could see his thin arms shake a bit as Al began to rub his hands across the soft, seafoam green blankets. "So soft…," he muttered quietly to himself.

Ed's smile fell as he saw Al's eyes fill to the brim then spill over in fat heavy tears.

"H-hey, what's wrong… are you hurt…," he was at his little brother's side in an instant. Alphonse reached up to wipe away his tears but they just kept coming. He pulled a hand away and looked at the moisture there, as if marveled by the sight alone.

"No, I'm not hurt…," he didn't sob, and despite the tears his voice sounded anything but sad. It was strained and low from disuse but if anything it sounded happy beyond belief. When he looked up he was still smiling, despite the tears that streaked his pale face. "It's just… everything! It's so warm, and soft, and fuzzy and-" his voice broke and he lifted his arms to flex his hands in front of his face, "I'm back!" Finally, the sobs started and he leaned forward to press his face into his hands. "I'm really back!"

Ed smiled and pulled his little brother against his chest in an awkward side hug, letting him sob into his soiled shirt. Even though he was crying, the sound of Alphonse's sobs was like music to Ed's ears- he knew his brother had probably been crying without truly being able to for a long time. It was time he finally let it all out.

Seeing Alphonse cry did not bother him, but the first time Al fell asleep scared the shit out of him. It had happened so suddenly, one second Ed was wondering aloud what kind of gross food they probably had here, the next he was turning to face what for all intents and purposes was a dead Alphonse.

He had just been speaking a moment before, saying he was pretty sure they couldn't put in a special request for apple pie in the kitchens, when there was suddenly silence and when Ed turned he was all but sure Alphonse had died. Laying on his back against his pillows, arms lightly crossed atop his chest, cheeks hollow, eyes sunken, body like a skeleton- he was dead. The fates were cruel and had gifted him the return of his brother only to snatch him away as some sick, twisted divine punishment.

"Al," Ed's voice started off low and watery but quickly grew into a hoarse yell as he leapt to his brother's side, "Alphonse! Are you okay! Al!"

He shook the young man almost violently, jarring him awake. Alphonse's gold eyes were dim and muddled with confusion, heavy with fatigue.

"Wha-... What-? Brother, why are you yelling?"

Al lifted a hand to rub at his eyes instinctively, and when his vision cleared and his thoughts reformed into something coherent he was stunned to see that Ed was the one crying now.

"You dummy!" Edward yelled, making Al flinch. "Don't do that, you ass!"

"Wha- what did I do!"

"I thought you were dead," Ed barked back, swiping at his eyes. He was trying to reign in his temper but his heart was still beating at a million miles a minute.

All the ruckus caused a couple of nurses to scurry in and ask what was going on.

"Nothing, it's fine. Al… Alphonse fell asleep. I panicked. Sorry," Ed finally managed. Al looked guilty.

"Did I? I'm sorry…," Al muttered, sounding somewhat confused and somewhat in awe. He hadn't actually slept in several years- the feeling felt altogether foreign to him.

The nurses, who had been quickly briefed on the situation, said that given Mr. Alphonse's condition, sleep was probably the best thing for him, and that if Mr. Edward could refrain from shaking him, that would be preferred. They left with promises that they would have dinner ready for the brothers soon.

And so Ed settled back into his bed and for a while he just listened to the sound of Alphonse's breathing. He lifted his right arm and stared at it as if it were an alien being. It was strange- being able to feel with his right arm again. He could only imagine what Al was going through, experiencing that with his whole body. This new-but-old arm was slimmer than his left and was in severe need of a pair of nail trimmers, but it was definitely his.

Now that his adrenaline had worn off, his right arm was beginning to ache tremendously. He tried not to move it too much. He knew in part this was due to over exerting muscles that had atrophied, but another part was due to the metal junction and bits still embedded in his shoulder. That would require surgery to fully remove. He didn't look forward to that but even so he knew he had drawn the long straw when it came to recovery.

Since Al was snoozing and no one was around to see, Ed clapped his hands together in a futile attempt to see if his alchemy was really gone. He pressed his hands to the steel bed railing, waiting for the familiar crackle of energy and was not surprised when he felt nothing but the cold steel bite into his hand.

He sighed but then smiled as he looked up at Al's peaceful sleeping face. He felt no true regret.

It was worth it.

"I'm sorry your first real meal is this crummy, lukewarm hospital soup," Ed said after the nurse dropped off their dinner trays. Al smiled despite his brother's apologies.

They were each in their own beds, Alphonse still a little groggy from his sleep, but he managed to look excited at what Ed deemed to be "crummy."

Despite Alphonse's long list of various foods he was excited to get to eat, the hospital staff insisted that his first meal be something simple and easy to digest. So in front of him was some creamy tomato soup, half a loaf of bread, and a glass of milk.

Despite them offering Edward something more substantial to eat, he had insisted on eating the same thing as Al (mostly so as not to tease the boy with something he couldn't have, even though Al insisted it was fine).

A nurse had offered to help Al eat but he had refused with a light blush on his cheeks. Ed teased him a bit about it but was actually glad to see some color on his brother's ragged face.

So even though it was slow going, Alphonse devoured the plain soup all by himself, and claimed it was the most delicious thing he had ever tasted.

Ed laughed at that as Al broke off small pieces of bread to dip into his soup, savoring each morsel as if it were the finest chocolate that he wanted to make last for as long as he could.

Alphonse downed his glass of milk in one swig and Ed balked.

"Slow down, or you're gonna vomit!"

"I'm fine," Al said as he gasped and wiped away a milk mustache. "I've gone five years without eating, I'm not about to waste any food now by getting sick."

"In that case," Edward chuckled, reaching out to hand over his bottle of milk, "here, take mine."

Alphonse shot him a glare. "You'll never get any taller like that brother."

Once again, the nurses had to run in and check on the source for all the yelling.

It was late evening when they were finally truly left alone. After his nap and dinner, Alphonse seemed to be full of energy, glancing around at everything and finally really observing his body. Ed watched as his younger brother tested out the mobility of his arms and legs and attempted to stretch a bit.

He knew Al was always the optimistic type but it made his stomach twist when he saw his brother's joyous smile slowly settle into a disgruntled frown. They had both seen Alphonse's wasted form in the isolated world of the Truth, it was a form that had haunted Ed's dreams for months, but he knew that actually being in that body was totally different than just catching a glimpse of it.

Al's hands opened and closed. His nails were still long and ragged. His hair spilled down his back where it ended in straggly ends at his waist. The pajamas the hospital had supplied hung off his thin frame and practically drowned him. Ed could see the long painful journey the boy had in front of him and felt another stab of guilt and the old fear resurfaced once again.

It's my fault he's like this, Ed thought to himself. Will he resent me for this?

Alphonse finally looked up and fixed his brother with a stern gaze. Alphonse opened his mouth to speak, hands clenching atop his thighs.

"Brother…I-," He began, low and serious. Edward braced himself for the worst. This was it, he was going to react with disgust, with anger, Alphonse was surely going to hate him this time.

"I need your help." Alphonse's voice faltered and became tinged with the whine of embarrassment. "I… I think I have to pee."

Edward almost fell off the bed.

The first couple of days after the Promised Day and the fall of Father were surprisingly peaceful for the Elric brothers. At first they assumed it was because everyone wanted to leave them alone and let them recover but they soon realized it was because everything in the outside world was in chaos and at the moment they weren't exactly the center of attention. Not to mention, they weren't the only ones recovering. They somehow managed to hear through the grapevine that Mustang and Lt. Hawkeye had also been admitted to the same hospital, along with many others who had suffered grave injuries. The boys were glad to hear that Izumi and her husband would be staying a couple days as well, and frowned when they heard their father had disappeared but did not question it.

Of those who were able to leave mostly unscathed, many were attempting to set things to rights and establish a new pecking order after the fall of the Fuhrer and the destruction of the city. Major Armstrong, despite his own injuries, stopped by with Maria Ross (whose position had been reinstated in full immediately) and filled them in on all that they had been able to glean after the first 24 hours.

"My sister and her men have retreated and are returning to Briggs as we speak," the Major went on, rattling off a list of accounts. "There's been a city wide call to local alchemists to try and help repair the destruction of the city as quickly as possible. As I'm sure you've heard by now over the radio, civilians have been instructed to give the Central Military area a wide berth; it's been debated how much to truly reveal to the public but so far it has been announced that there was a coup that involved improper alchemical practices and that more will be announced in the future and for everyone to keep to themselves for the time being."

"Speaking of which," Maria Ross was quick to pick up, "that last part goes double for you two. We have direct orders from Col. Mustang that you two are to stay put and not worry yourselves with anything other than recovering for the time being."

Ed and Al both gave reluctant, guilty grins- they couldn't deny they had a reputation for poking their noses into stuff and getting into trouble.

"That's fine, I doubt I could move too much anyway," Alphonse said sheepishly. "I'm supposed to start physical therapy soon, though."

Ross smiled. "That's good to hear. I'm glad to see you're doing well after everything that happened."

Alphonse gave a small smile in reply and Ed said, "Thanks for keeping us up to date. Has there been any development with Pride? Er-...Salem?"

"Mrs. Bradley has gratefully taken the child back into her care, though he has been assigned an around the clock surveillance. Right now, the only thing of note is that the child seems to be growing at an alarming rate but has as of yet done nothing to cause any suspicion. For all intents and purposes Selem Bradley is a normal human child."

Ed nodded solemnly. He had expected as much. He wasn't sure how the whole homunculi thing worked but he knew he had destroyed the being that was "Pride"- hopefully all that was left was the poor soul that the homunculus had acted parasite to. He couldn't bring himself to destroy the child completely- murder just wasn't something he was capable of- but he was glad to see his decision to spare the homunculi vessel had been the right choice.

Ed and Al shot a few questions after that mostly about different military personnel and what was going on outside.

"Oh," Ed said as an afterthought and had a sheepish grin, "is there a phone I can use here? There's a certain automail mechanic that's probably going nuts wondering what's happened to us."

Armstrong's eyes sparkled as he smiled. "Way ahead of you, Edward. Miss Rockbell has already been contacted and informed of the situation at hand and that you are both taking time to heal here at the hospital. I am under the impression that she would willingly be on a train to Central as we speak if it were not for the current travel hiatus into or out of the city."

"Damn! I was hoping to break the good news to her," Edward said with a mock sigh as Alphonse grinned sheepishly. "No idea how she'll react to this, though…" he said as he lifted his now normal right arm.

"I'm sure she'll forgive you, brother," Alphonse said with a light chuckle.

"Well, I'm sure she would love a phone call from both of you," Maria said with a smile, "so feel free to use the phone down the hallway and feel free to put any charges on the Major's personal tab."

Neither the Elric brothers could tell if she was joking and judging by the sweatshops forming on the Major's shiny head, neither could he.

"Call her as soon as you can," Maria was saying as she and Armstrong were seeing themselves out, her hand on the doorknob. "It's not nice to keep ladies waiting when they're waiting to hear from you."

"Oh! Wait," Alphonse sat up suddenly as if he had just remembered something. "Ling, and his group. Have you heard anything from them? Did they really leave already?"

"The Xingese prince?" Maria asked, she tapped her lip. "I believe there have been a few reports that say he has already left the country, but we don't know how much is truth versus rumor. Was there something you needed to say to him as well?"

"Ah, no, just… a girl he was with was hurt during the fight with Father and…", Alphonse rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. "I didn't really get to say bye before they left."

Ross smiled again. "I see. Well, I managed to make a few connections in Xing. I'll see to it that we get a hold of your friends somehow."

Ed watched Al's face fall into a pensive frown after they left.

"You're worried about her, huh?"

"I just feel like I asked way too much of someone, you know," Alphonse admitted sheepishly. "Thankfully it all worked out, but… if it didn't…"

"Yeah, I know what ya mean…" Ed recalled the heartbroken girl in the moments between Alphonse sacrificing himself and Edward retrieving him, the way she had cried at his side. He decided he wouldn't mention it to Al.

"Everything happened so fast after I came back, and they left so quickly. I don't even know why Mei was there! She was gone and then she was there and then she was gone again!" Al was starting to sound exasperated and frustrated.

"Gone? Wasn't she with your group before you were grabbed by Pride?"

Al shook his head. "We all split ways in the North. She was supposed to take Envy back to her country to present to the Emperor."

Ed gave him a dumbfounded look and Alphonse realized he had a lot of explaining to. He went over how he had passed out in the snow, been disassembled, deciphering the meaning with Mei and then how she attempted to teach him Alkahestry. After that, Scar had insisted they part ways.

"Hmm. And that's it? She left like that?"

"Erm, well, no, she said goodbye…"

Ed was at a loss at why his little brother was suddenly looking so flustered and wouldn't make eye contact. He finally managed to wheedle it out of Alphonse how the girl had pulled him into a big hug before giving him a heartfelt goodbye.

"And it seemed like she had more to say but I kind of cut her off and- wha- why are you looking at me like that!"

Edward had sidled his way closer through the tale with the look that could only be dubbed the "you-like-Mei-Chang-don't-you-Alphonse" look (which, little did Alphonse know he was going to be subjected to that look countless times over the next few years, or he might have permanently transmuted it off his brother's face right then) and was prodding him with his elbow in his boney ribs.

"So what you're saying, my dear younger brother, is that you think she came back to see you, huh, huh, huh," Ed began to dog him as he poked him in the ribs with each "huh." Al grumbled in anger and attempted to push his brother off him (though his attempts were pretty futile given his state).

"I don't know! Maybe," Alphonse said, redder than before. He finally managed to nail Edward in the face with a pillow. Ed whined an annoyed "heeeey" but finally backed off and retreated to his side of the room. "But if she did, then what I asked her to do is, like, ten times worse, isn't it?"

Edward crossed his legs on his bed.

"You did what you had to, Al. She's an alchemist, too, she knows that. So don't be so hard on yourself, whatever her reason was, you didn't force her to come back."

"Yeah. You're right…," Al trailed off, and that was the end of the conversation for a while.

Ed flopped backwards on his bed, legs still crossed and arms out at either side. His ponytail spilled off the other side of the bed and stray hairs fell in his face.

The room was silent until Al finally said, "I wonder where Dad went."

Ed blew a wild hair out of his face. "Dunno. Guess old habits die hard, huh? Leave it to Hoenheim to just up and vanish in the nick of things."

"Brother!" Al scolded. "You're being a bit harsh don't you think? He fought alongside us til the end, he could be gravely hurt."

"Yeah, you're right," Ed said laboriously as he hefted himself back onto his elbows. "I'll try to hunt the old geezer down once we're released. I got a few things I need to say to him, anyway."

Al smiled. "It'll be nice to finally spend some time with him."

"Yeah," Ed agreed. A second later he hurled a pillow at Alphonse's head. "Enough about the old man, we gotta make a phone call."

Shortly after, Ed helped Al into the nearest wheelchair and wheeled him down the hallway, riding recklessly on the back.

They had a mechanic to call.


	2. Sounds of Being Human

**thanks for the reviews, they really make me happy and motivate me to write! I hope you enjoy this and the future chapters :)**

* * *

When he had first woken up in his armor body, he hadn't had a chance to question things, to panic- His brother lay on the ground before him, bleeding to death while the monster that he had hoped to call mother writhed on the ground a few feet away.

He did the only thing he could think of- save Ed. That was all that truly mattered. He would worry about what had happened to himself later. Brother came first, always.

After that, it would take a long time before Alphonse could look in the mirror without wanting to break it.

Now was like then, really. He was beyond grateful to have his body back. Ecstatic.

It was also overwhelming and took some adjusting to.

Alphonse was truly alone for the first time since he had been pulled from the Gateway of Truth. It was a week into their hospital stay and Ed had been carted off for surgery to remove the remaining metal bits in his shoulder joint.

Ed had stalled and put it off as much as he could but as the days passed it was apparent he was suffering from the irritation in the muscle and risked infection if it wasn't removed soon.

Ed had acted like he was nervous about the surgery itself, but Alphonse could tell his older brother was nervous about leaving him alone. Finally Alphonse smiled and promised he would still be here when Ed got back and that was just enough to get Ed to go.

And so Al was alone with his body.

He lay on his back atop his blankets, eyes closed, in such a way that someone passing by might think he was sleeping. But he wasn't asleep. He was listening.

Not to the hum of activity that the busy hospital always generated, or to the low babble of the wind that tousled the trees and played with the drapes through the open window. He lay there and listened to himself, to the pounding of his own heart and the dull roar of blood behind his ears.

 _My body._ He lifted a hand and laid it on his chest, feeling the steady beat. _It's alive. And loud._

Breathing felt so foreign and yet it came so naturally. He listened to that too. In and out, over and over again.

He listened, and he _felt._

His legs ached. His head hurt. He had begun physical therapy only a couple days ago and already his muscles screamed in pain. It hurt. The light pricked the back of his eyelids. He felt the wind stir and tickle his face with loose strands of long hair. He felt the softness of his bed and pillows all around him. He felt his stomach growl in anticipation of lunch. He felt everything. It was amazing. It wasn't enough and it was way too much all at once.

Alphonse finally sighed and sat up. His head swam at the sudden movement but he quickly steadied himself. Even the bad… even the bad feelings were a bit of a joy. The act of feeling at all. There was so so much to a human body and the way it felt… it was overwhelming, but also so amazing.

Al turned toward the private bathroom that was connected to their room. His hands clenched atop the covers and he sighed. After a moment of steadying himself he managed to swing his legs off the bed and stand. He knew Ed would kill him if he knew Al was walking by himself but Al's independent streak and dignity drove him despite the obvious scolding he would receive if he happened to trip or collapse.

He made it to the bathroom easily enough. Luckily, using the toilet was not what was on his mind (speaking of which, actually going to the bathroom after five years was one hell of an awkward experience that he would rather carry to the grave than share with anyone outside of his brother).

Al made it to the sink and leaned against the porcelain- it felt cool against his hands. He stared at the sink for a while, steeling himself before finally looking in the mirror.

The face looking back at him was not his face, in so many ways. First of all, he wasn't used to his new eye level yet. Second, he was not the intimidating titan of steel he had come to accept as himself. Third… he was not what he had expected.

Alphonse was not an idiot. Once he realized his body was still alive and existed within the Truth, he could easily put together that this meant his body would be different than the one he had lost. His body would surely age and change and grow, or so he presumed. He couldn't bare the thought of returning to the body of a ten year old with the mind of a fifteen year old, any more than he could bare the thought of his body wasting away and becoming a corpse due to not receiving any sort of nutrients.

Luckily enough, his and Ed's theory about his body surviving due to its link to Ed seemed to be true. His body had survived and lived and aged normally- well. Mostly. If you could call "basically a skeleton with hair" _normally_.

It just… wasn't what he had expected.

When Mei had asked him what he looked like back at Dr Knox's, he had answered automatically, without much thought. He had answered based off what he had fabricated to be himself in his own mind. Blonde, of course. Taller than Ed, always. Kind, patient, charming, gentle, - handsome? Looking at his sunken face and scrawny frame, that was laughable.

To be fair, he thought, he had already gained quite a bit of weight. His face was fuller, and his hands didn't look quite so bony. His ribs didn't show as much and the dark circles under his eyes were far less prominent. He was glad to see he had gone from scary metal man to scary skeleton boy to a young man that finally seemed to be healing and regaining some sense of himself.

Even though the face in the mirror was unfamiliar, even though he didn't get the chance to grow up with the face he saw in the mirror, watching it change little by little and day by day- it was his. It was him.

Despite this, Alphonse still frowned at what he saw in the mirror. He wasn't happy. He fingered the long plait of hair that one of the nurses had braided for him to keep it out of his way that morning. His eye twitched in irritation as he glanced back at the mirror.

He looked like Ed.

* * *

It was late afternoon when Ed was rolled back into the shared hospital room. He had insisted he could walk but the nurses insisted the wheelchair was protocol. He was grateful for the wheelchair halfway through, though, seeing as he was still groggy from anesthesia and practically fell asleep on the way there.

He perked up when he was delivered to their room. Alphonse looked up from the book he was reading to smile and greet his brother. Ed grinned as he stood.

"Hey, look at you," he said as he socked his brother in the shoulder playfully and ran a hand through his shorter gold locks. "When did this happen!"

Alphonse grinned good naturedly but also tried to swat his brother's hand away from messing up his neat hair. "I asked one of the nurses to cut it this morning. I don't know how you do it, brother, long hair is such a pain!"

"Yeah, but you gotta admit," Ed said with a devious grin as he struck a cocky pose, flicking his ponytail over his shoulder in a showy way, "it looks cool!"

Alphonse had a face of total innocence when he said, "I think it makes you look like dad."

Edward froze then grumbled something about finding a pair of scissors.

* * *

Despite it being super confidential, it didn't take long for word of the Elric brothers' condition and location to get out, and soon their shared room was overflowing with presents.

Any flat surface was covered in vases of flowers so that the room constantly smelled perfumed and full of fragrance (Ed caught Alphonse sticking his face in them more than once).There were stuffed animals piled in the corner chair, which, both being teenaged boys, they weren't sure what to do with but decided to give them to Elicia when they checked out (though Edward had taken a liking to a particular stuffed penguin and Al wasn't surprised when, months later, he would find it hidden under Ed's bed).

They were sent get well cards, thank you notes, baskets of snacks and certificates to shops to be spent once they were well enough to check out. Ed and Al felt so indebted to so many people, they were shocked to see how many people felt indebted to them.

Well. They did help save the world and everything.

Ed and Al had just been given their mail for the day. Ed was laying across Al's bed, reading a letter from Winry while Al perused a magazine. They both snacked out of a tin of cookies they had been given.

"What's it say," Al asked when Ed sat up grinning.

"Looks like we don't have to worry about a place to stay anymore."

Both boys had been wondering what they would call "home" permanently from now on. They had stayed with the Rockbells before during their travels but had never really settled down. Now, they were worried about imposing or overstaying their welcome but knew that Alphonse would need a permanent place to live while he fully recuperated. They had considered all the options- the Curtises would welcome them like family, but their house was too small for four people, the military could make accommodations for them but then they would be in the thick of everything going on at Central and quite frankly they needed a break from everything.

"They said it's cool if we stay with them once we're released! And," Ed continued with a grin, "she said she'll have an apple pie ready when we get there if we just call first."

"Yeah!" Alphonse threw his arms up in glee. "We better remember to call, then!"

"Yeah, we'll have to remember this time. She also wants to know if she can come visit since the travel ban is being lifted?"

The last part was presented as a question to Alphonse with a quirked brow. Al's joyous smile turned to a reluctant frown.

"I don't know… I mean, I really want to see her! I just…," Al cupped his own face which was quickly reddening, "don't want her to see me."

"Are you sure?"

"It would just cause her to worry," Alphonse mumbled as he picked up another cookie. "I'd like to wait to see everyone until I'm a healthier weight."

"I know what you mean." Ed said, leaning over with a smile on his face, poking at his brother's stomach. "You keep eating like this though, you're gonna fat."

"Good!" Alphonse managed around a mouthful of cookies as he crammed four more into his mouth at once. "Ah'd radder be fat."

Ed laughed until tears were in his eyes but assumed Al got a stomach ache after that because he pushed the tin of cookies aside, out of reach.

Ed wiped at his eyes and asked, "Whatcha readin'?"

"Oh, it's just a magazine. I'm not really reading so much as looking at clothes. I can't wait to wear something other than a loincloth." Alphonse gave a small laugh as he turned the page, then brought the magazine up to his face and groaned. "Ugh, I just realized- I don't have any money for this stuff! I won't be well enough for a job for a long time too."

Ed rolled up the letter from Winry and playfully smacked Al in the head with it, making him drop the magazine. "Don't worry about that stuff, if you need it I'll buy it, like always."

"I can't just keep mooching off you forever though! I obviously couldn't hold a job as a suit of armor, but I didn't really need much then- hotel fair and the occasional book or can of oil. Now I need clothes, and food, and- and a toothbrush!"

It seemed like Alphonse was realizing a lot of things all at once with the way he was babbling.

"Little bro, I will buy you a toothbrush," he said almost deadpan then laughed. "Don't worry so much I've got enough money in my savings from being a State Alchemist…."

Eds voice trailed off and Al could see that _he_ was the one suddenly realizing something as Edward babbled and clenched and unclenched his hands . "A job I won't have anymore… Because I can't do alchemy anymore...Oh yeah…"

There was silence while he processed that, then:

"What the hell! I can't get a normal job, alchemy's all I'm good at!"

"I know!" Al agreed. "That's what I'm saying!"

"What the hell, they can't just _fire_ me right? I mean, the contract never said had to be able to _perform_ alchemy right!?"

"I don't know, you signed it not me!"

"Little brother," Ed said, suddenly in Al's face, dramatically taking both his hands in his, eyes big and watery. "You're gonna have to carry on the family business, I don't think I can do it anymore."

"Ed I can barely walk!" Al groaned, unsure if his brother was being melodramatic for comedic effect or just being dramatic.

The older blonde boy wilted right there on the bed and buried his face. "I'm gonna have to get a normal job. Say goodbye to my youth, time to sign myself off to some sweatshop."

He was being dramatic. Al smiled a bit and reached out to pet Ed on the head. "There, there. I'm sure the job market is in high demand for shorter-than-average ex-military men with an automail leg."

Ed shot him a glare, the reaction he knew he would get. "Hey, I'm taller than _you."_

"Yeah," Alphonse agreed, totally not smug at all. "For now."

"Ya know what," Ed said as he sat up, a bit huffy. "I changed my mind. I'm not gonna buy you a toothbrush after all."

Alphonse couldn't help but laugh and shortly after Ed joined him. Any of the earlier tension or fear was dissolved completely.

"Have you transmuted anything, yet," Ed asked seriously once he sat back up.

"No, not yet."

Al looked around and grabbed one of the plastic cups from the bedside table. He set it on his lap tray, hesitated a moment before finally bringing his hands together then gently pressed them to the cool surface.

There was the familiar bright blue spark and when the light cleared, a small plastic cat sat in the middle of the tray.

"Ooooh, that feels weird," Al said as he flexed his hands open and close. "I forgot using alchemy felt like that!"

"Haha, yeah, it'll definitely wake you up." Ed had to admit he was envious but he was glad to see that Al's ability to use alchemy seemed to be unaffected by his current health. Al tried not to look too happy about it but he was glad too. He didn't want to gloat when Ed was still mourning the loss of his ability to transmute.

"Looks like you really will have to carry on the family business for me."

Al laughed that off, turning the cup back to normal. "Please, I'm nowhere near as skilled you are."

"I dunno, you did some pretty badass stuff when fighting Father. You were already a better fighter than me, you just might surpass me in alchemy too," he said, ruffling Al's hair, 100% aware of how it annoyed him.

"Well, I'm sure you could knock me flat right now, so,... equivalent exchange, huh?"

"Yeah. Equivalent exchange."

* * *

That night Alphonse listened to Ed as he lay asleep. He had spent so many nights doing just that, it was a hard habit to break even as sleep made his eyelids heavy and his mind fuzzy.

The worst part of being trapped in the armor were the nights alone. Most of the time he had to stay confined to whatever hotel he and Ed checked into since a large man in armor walking around at night would be quite alarming. He spent a lot of his nights reading history books and trashy romance novels, anything he could get his hands on to occupy his mind. He would have killed to have the ability to just sleep away the endless hours rather than stomach another dime store novel.

Now he found sleep was the last thing he wanted. Not because anything had changed, he still hated being up alone at night. But when he closed his eyes he found he was not alone in a horrible way- his dreams were haunted with all the horrors he had witnessed in the past five years and they shook him to the core every time.

His eyes grew heavy and he began to drift off to sleep- and he saw her face. Their mother. And the thing that was not their mother.

His eyes snapped open and he grumbled in irritation. He rolled and tried to sleep again. This time he saw Nina.

Again his eyes snapped open and he fought back the tears that threatened to well up and spill over.

It happened over and over again.

Winry. Rose. Martel. Lan Fan. Mei.

Al jolted awake, trying to block out the sounds of a young girl sobbing his name. His hands shook a bit as he reached over to turn on the lamp and double check that his hands were not made of leather and were not covered in a woman's blood.

A low grumble came from Ed's side of the room as he rolled over and managed a sleep muddled, "Mmmbwa? What… what's going on? Whys the light on?" He muttered as he rubbed his eye, rolling over with the stuffed penguin under one arm.

"Sorry, brother," Al whispered, hoping Ed didn't see how pale he looked, or hear the tremor in his voice as he switched the lamp off.

"You okay?" Ed asked, a little more coherent.

"Yes, just… dreams, you know?"

Ed gave him a long even look. Then without saying anything he stood up, grabbing his pillow, his blanket and the stuffed penguin. "Scoot over."

Al made his brother some space on the tiny bed.

"Get some sleep," Ed said, still groggy, as he curled up under Al's blanket. He gave his brother's short hair a few reassuring strokes before settling down.

Al smiled and didn't question him. He was grateful that his brother knew what bothered him without having to say it aloud.

Eventually he could tell Ed fell asleep by his breathing. Eventually he did too, and this time he slept through the night.


	3. When the Phone Rings

**thanks for all the reviews! I'm glad you guys like this story. I'm so excited to keep writing more (: wrote this one kinda fast, probs gonna wirte about the Xing crew next!**

 **Character: Winry**

* * *

The Elric brothers were absolutely unpredictable to the point that they became predictable. No matter what kind of shenanigans they got into, there was one fact that always held true: They never called.

This fact alone was the sole motivator for the blonde mechanic that was grumbling over the results of her three day long, rage-fueled automail binge.

When Ed sauntered in with broken automail and Al was in pieces, she was always initially pissed at the sudden intrusion but her wrath quickly subsided and gave way to warm affection for the two boys she thought of as family. The fact that they hadn't given her any warning was typically brushed aside in favor of tending to their wounds and trying to piece together the severity of their emotional turmoil from the terse snippets she was given.

But when Ed left for the final showdown, and the world seemingly died a mass death only to be resurrected minutes later, then all of Central shut down with reports of the death of the Fuhrer and all trains were on a temporary travel ban… of all time for the Elrics to be predictable, Winry lamented, why did it have to be this one!?

All her calls were in vain and so she did what she always did when she couldn't sleep due to anxiety over her wayward alchemists: she turned that anger and anxiety and worry into something useful.

Winry buried herself in that work, a commission piece for a wealthy woman in the North who wanted something both practical and stylish- something Winry could truly get behind.

She rarely slept, hardly ate, and refused to leave the phone's side for more than a few minutes. The only constant was the radio which gave a live, minute by minute update to the happenings in Central.

The first few hours after they announced the fall of the Fuhrer were the worst. As the death toll rose each turn of her wrench was punctuated with the same thought: _They're not dead._ Turn. _They're not dead._ Turn. _They aren't dead._ Turn. _Because then I'd have to kill 'em!_

The subtle tap of a mug being set beside her jolted her from her reverie as if it were a gunshot. Winry gasped and tugged her goggles off.

"Working yourself to death won't bring them home any sooner," Pinako said over the steaming mug of tea.

Winry wilted. "I know. Thank you, Granny," Winry said as she took a sip of the calming tea. It didn't do much to soothe her worries but it tasted great.

"Try to rest. I'll guard the phone."

Winry nodded and rose to finally try to catch some much needed beauty sleep (the combination of dark circles and impressions left from her goggles did nothing for her appearance) when as if by some strange magic of being discussed, the phone rang.

Winry was so stunned that she was frozen in place. Pinako, of stronger nerves, glanced her way before saying, "Want me to answer it?"

Winry gulped. "No, I should do it."

Her hand hovered over the phone for a minute; it shook worse than the time she had aimed a gun at Scar. Finally she took a deep breath and…

"Hello. Miss Rockbell? It is I, Major Alex Louis Armstrong…"

After a short conversation, Winry said thank you and hung up. She immediately sunk to her knees, exhausted in so many ways, and buried her face in her hands.

She cried. And she cried. But she also smiled.

"That idiot," she whispered as the tears flowed and Pinako attempted to stroke her back. "But at least he kept his promise."

* * *

Winry truly felt the weight of the past several days hit her after the phone call from the Major. After scarfing down a simple dinner she decided to take a long relaxing bath.

She stripped from her oil-stained jumper and took her hair down from its messy bun. Her fair hair was slick with both natural oil and automail oil- she grimaced. She had really let herself go due to stress.

When the tub was full, Winry stepped in, rejoicing in the way the hot water scalded her sore knuckles and soothed her aching shoulders.

Her mind was racing despite the outside calm. The Major had not been able to tell her much but there were three main facts that swarm about her head like angry bees: _They had won. The boys were alive. Al has his body back._

She didn't know the details and she didn't care, all that mattered were the people she loved the most in the world hadn't abandoned her the same way her parents had. The Elrics would be coming home on their own feet and not in matching coffins.

Winry felt her eyes welling up again and willed them away. _What a baby._ She thought. _What would Ed think if he knew I was crying this much…_

She tried to focus on scrubbing her skin and washing her hair, tried to push away the thoughts that threatened to overwhelm her. She tried to think of simple happy things they could do when the boys were home. What would Al look like after all this time? She thought of how Ed had always taken after Hohenheim and Al, their mother. She wondered if that was still true. She wondered if he was healthy after all that time in the limbo world of the Truth and felt her stomach drop in worry.

 _First thing tomorrow, I'm buying a bushel of apples._

She was broken from her reverie when the phone rang again. She jolted in the tub, splashing water over the side, listening as she heard her Grandmother's voice muffled in the distance.

 _Another phone call? So soon? Did something happen?_

She heard her grandmother cry out and couldn't tell if it was from joy or grief. The cold hand of dread gripped her heart again. How cruel the world would be to gift her with Ed and Al's safe return only to rip it from her grasp a moment later. How fitting.

A moment later Pinako was hollering, "Winry! Pick up the phone! Your best customer is calling!"

Winry gasped and bolted from the tub, almost slipping in the process. She didn't bother to dry off or even cover herself with a towel (her grandmother was the only one in the house, and was on the first floor anyway).

"Hello? Ed?" She was breathless despite the upstairs phone being a short distance from the bathroom.

"Hey, good to hear your voice! Granny said she thought you might have passed out."

The tears were back but her voice was surprisingly controlled. "Yeah, I haven't been sleeping well."

"I was hoping to break the good news and keep my promise, but I hear that loudmouth Armstrong got to you first. Sorry about that."

Winry shook her head despite being miles apart, her fingers tangled in the phone cord. "That's okay. I don't care who says it, so long as it's true…. it is true, isn't? Are you okay? Is Al…?"

"Why don't I let somebody else fill you in on that," she could hear the chuckle in Eds voice and the shuffling of the receiver as it was passed to someone else.

A short pause, then,

"Hi, Winry."

"Alphonse…," his name came out as more of a breath of air than a word. She couldn't believe it even though she could hear it, immediately. Despite sounding shy, and tired, Al didn't sound like he was talking out of a tin can for the first time in nearly five years. Her hand clenched around the cord. "Is it really you? Are you really…?"

"Yep, I'm back. In the flesh."

"I'm so glad…," She couldn't help the sob that tore from her throat then. "You really did it! You got you body back!"

"Ah, Winry, no- Please don't cry!"

"Sorry," she said with a small laugh. "I'm just so happy. How are you doing, are you okay?"

There was a tense silence and that all but confirmed her deepest fears. They had worried about the health of Al's body while being in the void, she hoped it wasn't too bad.

"I'm… I'm okay," Alphonse said in the voice one used when they weren't okay but wanted to reassure someone. "Really. A little thin and a little tired, but otherwise unharmed."

"That's good to hear," Winry replied, used to not getting the whole story. "How's Ed? Did he restore his body as well?"

"Ummm…"

There was more shuffling and then Ed was back.

"Hate to disappoint ya, but looks like my bill's gonna be cut in half from now on!"

He went on to explain that he had his arm back but not his leg. He didn't go into details and she didn't ask. There would be a day for stories. Right now all that mattered was that Al and Ed were alive and well.

"That's good to hear. I'm so glad you called, I was really worried."

"Yeah…," Ed's voice had softened. "Sorry to worry you, Winry."

"That's okay. I should probably go now and finish getting ready for bed. It was good to hear from you, Ed. Promise to call again okay?"

"You too. I promise. And sorry if we woke you, Granny said you weren't sleeping well."

"No that's okay, I wasn't sleeping," Winry said cheerily. "I was just in the bath when you called; I was so excited to talk to you I ran out without a towel even and almost slipped and fell," she said offhandedly with a laugh.

There was a weird stuttering on the other end of the phone, that sounded like, "W-w-wha- with- out a- wha-..."

"Ed? You there? I think you're breaking up."

There was silence then shuffling then,

"Winry? Brother just turned red and handed me the phone and walked off. What the heck did you say to him?"

* * *

The days passed easier after that. She desperately wanted to be in Central but Ed filled her in when Al wasn't around: How badly Al's body had wasted away in the portal and how the teen wasn't keen on having anyone see him until he could truly stand on his own two feet.

"He doesn't want to worry you," Ed had said in soft serious tones when she insisted she should be there anyway. "And I don't blame him. I wouldn't want you to see me in hat shape either."

"Is he… is he really that bad off," she had asked, full of concern.

"Yeah. He won't like me telling you, but yeah, it's pretty bad." There was a moment of silence then," I think we got him back in the nick of time, Winry. I don't think he could have survived much longer, honestly…He might have…"

Winry didn't have to question that tense silence. Alphonse hadn't died and that's all that mattered.

"I thought he was dead," Edward continued with a choked laugh that was probably masking a sob. "When he fell asleep earlier, I panicked. I really thought he had died, right there! And I-..."

More soft slightly manic laughter. Winry tried to reassure him and say that everything would be fine from this point on.

"Yeah," Ed agreed softly. Another long silence, this time the silence of two people who had run out of things to say but neither wanted to hang up yet.

Winry was just about to attempt a good bye when Ed said, "I understand why you can't be here, but… I'd really like to see you, Winry."

Winry smiled. "Well, you two will just have to get well soon and come see me as soon as you can, then, huh?"

"Yeah. We will."

They had hung up after that and despite the worrisome news about Al's health, Winry slept better than she had in weeks.


	4. The Mouth of Hell

**Finally the Xing crew. Took me longer to write this than I wanted but it was a tricky one. And I'm still not 100% about it. Anyway I hope you guys enjoy!**

 **Characters: Ling, Lan Fan, and Mei (And Xiao Mei!)**

* * *

They were hardly half a day into their trek back to Xing and Ling was already tempted to bail on his caravan.

First of all, it was hot. So very, very hot.

Second of all, he wanted to know everything that happened between the time he and Lan Fan split up and their reunion, and all that went down with the Chang Clan Princess. Which would be a lot easier if said Chang Clan Princess were being more cooperative but apparently she bore a grudge that ran deep and was hard to talk to.

Third of all… he was so hungry. He could pass out. In fact… he did pass out.

"Ling," Mei scolded from atop her horse, pulling up beside the pile of robes that was her anemic half-brother. "How are we supposed to get there if you keep passing out?"

Lan Fan was already dismounting and pulling Ling into a sitting position. "It may be best to take a rest for now and begin setting up camp."

"Camp already?" Mei asked skeptically, looking at the sun. It was past the worst part of the day but they still had hours before sunset- before the night set in and threatened to freeze them. "We should probably try to make more progress before we…"

Mei trailed off when she saw the look of pain and discomfort flash across Lan Fan's face.

"Alright," Mei agreed with a defeated sigh. They had all known that crossing the desert with automail would be a problem for Lan Fan. Mei hadn't known it would start so early, though.

Ling wobbled to his feet after Lan Fan fished out some dried fruit for him to snack on and the two began untying their things from each of their mounts. Mei was walking in a wide circle around the camp, stopping every few feet to draw something in the sand with her foot.

Ling shot Mei an inquisitive look as he munched on his snacks. "Uh, whatcha doing?"

When Mei completed her circle, she stopped at his side, dropped her kunai in the sand between her feet and activated the series of circles. Suddenly the sand erupted around them and soon they were shielded from the harsh sun by a sandstone dome.

Mei smiled as Ling wilted in the shade. "Oh thank god. Good thinking, Mei."

"It's how I crossed the desert before on my own," she replied as she began taking off her outer layer of robes and shaking out the sand.

"Well, thanks," he said affectionately, dropping his hand atop her head to pat it. "Without you we might be roasted by now."

Her earlier smile faded into a look of irritated contempt and she quickly hopped out of his reach. Ling sighed. Mei had (mostly) come willingly but she was still miffed about the way he had torn the girl away, and also stolen her key to saving her clan from right under her nose.

Speaking of which, Ling carefully fished the little vial out from his pocket, checking to make sure it was still intact. He handled the vile like precious cargo and rarely let it out of his sight. He set the vial of red liquid atop one of their luggage crates and a tense hush fell on the three as it always did when the Philosopher's Stone was present. There was a persistent, ever present question that hung about the trio that no one had yet the courage to speak aloud:

 _What do we do now?_

Ling of course planned to use the philosopher's stone to gain his father's throne. But what exactly did that entail? If he presented the emperor with the vial, he would surely attempt to use it to save and extend his own life. Even if he was named heir- when would he truly be ruler if his father continued to live on?

And not only that… if the emperor sought to make his own Philosopher's Stone? They couldn't just sit by and let innocent people suffer.

Ling sighed and turned to Lan Fan. He caught her eye and that broke her from her own reverie.

"Let's just worry about getting back home for now," he said softly. "None of us are in top shape and this desert isn't going to be kind to us."

The girls agreed and continued to set up camp and prepare a simple meal. There was plenty enough space in the sandstone dome for them each to have plenty of sleeping space and for their horses to have their own feeding area without disturbing them.

As he set up his and Lan Fan's sleeping tent, Ling couldn't help but realize Mei was setting out her own sleeping roll on the far side of the fire, away from him and Lan Fan.

"You're gonna freeze over there by yourself," Ling called out.

"I'll be fine," Mei called back.

"You can't just sleep with your panda and a blanket-"

He was cut off when Mei scowled and with a flash of bright alchemical energy there was suddenly a small but perfectly-to-scale replica of the imperial palace around her sleeping bag. Ling just muttered about her being a show off and Lan Fan came up beside him almost silently.

"Forgive her, my lord. She is merely worried about what will happen when we return." Lan Fan didn't want to see the newly impacted truce she had requested crumble so quickly.

"No need to take it out on me," he muttered with a scowl, but decided to drop the subject. He turned to face Lan Fan with a softer expression. "How are you doing, anyway? Is your arm okay?"

Lan Fan flinched ever so slightly. She had one arm wrapped in bandages, which was worrisome enough, but her automail was already attempting to scald her despite the protective measures they took to keep it wrapped up.

"I'm fine," she said curtly and Ling knew she was at least half lying. Sadly, there wasn't much he could do for her himself other than suggest she rest.

With Lan Fan resting and Mei holed up in her miniature palace, Ling found himself truly alone for the first time in months. He had shared his body with Greed for so long that now it felt weirdly lonely without the second voice in his head.

Not that he really _missed_ being possessed by a humanoid monster that nearly cost him his life, but he had begun to like the homunculus known as Greed and now that all he had left were someone else's memories in his head, he felt truly haunted.

The faces of the chimera people flashed in the back of his mind, people he had never met and yet he felt so fond of. He sighed and stopped by old man Fu's casket- the reason they were making such a hasty journey home in the first place. Fu's blood stained face flashed across Ling's memory as well, someone he deeply cared for and had to witness die right before his eyes.

His eyes finally fell on the little Philosopher's Stone again, such an unassuming vial that was responsible for so much death and blood shed and grief.

 _You got what you wanted,_ Ling thought in a voice not his own. _Now… was it worth it?_

* * *

That first night was the hardest. Ling was always a heavy sleeper, and napped often when he could. That night he couldn't sleep a wink. He tried not to move, to feign sleep, and wished it would eventually claim him.

It was too quiet in his mind, without the cacophony of souls whirling about, but it was too noisy around him. Well. It was actually quite quiet, but it was the small noises that broke the silence that kept him awake.

Lan Fan always put on a brave face, even when he knew she suffered. She had hardly shed a tear since leaving Amestris but now, alone in the calm of the night, Ling could just make out her quiet sobs as she cried into her own pillow. He knew she was trying to be quiet and knew that attempting to check on her would just cause her to get defensive and suck it up. She needed to let it out, to grieve.

They were practically sleeping in the same bed, their sleeping rolls pushed together. He could just imagine the lewd comments he would get from Greed if the homunculus could see them now, but it was merely for warmth and safety in case they were ambushed. Though, there was a small part of him that wished he could just roll over and pull her close to him but he knew at a time like this it would just do more harm than good.

He remembered how she had shed a tear, holding onto him as he and Greed threatened to plunge to their death. How she would never let go, no matter the pain it brought her. He wished that had been the only time he would make her cry.

Finally, the tears stopped, and Ling could tell Lan Fan had drifted off by the way she was breathing. He sighed to himself, hoping this meant he could get some sleep as well… when his acute hearing picked up _another_ tiny voice crying in the night.

Ling sighed and sat up, rubbing his sleep dreary eyes, tangled hair falling loose over his shoulders.

He quietly padded over to where Mei was sleeping and pushed away the little sheet she had hung as a door, and saw the young girl huddled up about her tiny panda. Though tears pricked her eyes and stained her face, Ling could tell she was deep asleep.

 _Crying in her sleep_ , Ling thought. _What a dummy… She is so scared even though I said I'd protect her._ If only he could get her to believe him...

Her small body was wracked with shivers, her only source of warmth a small blanket and an even smaller panda. Welp. If he planned on protecting people, he might as well start now.

* * *

Mei was the first one up that morning, seeing as Xiao May was scratching at her side to be let out to use the bathroom.

She rose groggily and rubbed her head. Her night had been full of bad dreams that she really would rather forget.

After spending the last few months with Envy in a jar, she had gotten used to bad dreams. The vile creature had always made her feel on edge and at night he would whisper malicious things to her that made her nights swim with nightmares. She saw her clan dying, the world burning, the good people of Amestris being turned to ash and blood. But she always woke up relieved to find that none of that had happened.

Now, though, when she woke, she had to face the reality that the white man-eating faces that had clambered after her had been real, that the enormous shadow that threatened to swallow God had succeeded in doing so, that the boy in the armor she had come to care about had nearly been lost forever due to her intervention. That Alphonse Elric had almost died trying to protect her, and then sacrificed himself to save everyone.

It had all worked out in the end, of course. Father had lost, Ed got his arm back and managed to bring Alphonse back from the other side. Mei had been overjoyed to see her friend back and in the flesh but also… another image that haunted her dreams was the skeletal, sunken face and long lanky golden hair. Al was back, but he still suffered, and there was nothing she could do to help him. To help any of them.

Xiao May finally broke her from her worried thoughts, tugging at her side. Mei shifted and felt a second blanket slip off of her.

"What the…," she eyed it groggily. "This isn't mine…"

She neatly folded the blue blanket and crawled out of her palace-tent and took a moment to use Alkahestry to destroy it. She saw Ling and Lan Fan curled up under the same blanket and sighed a little huff of hair.

 _Dummy._ She thought, laying the folded blanket by Ling. _Pervert_ , she added when she noticed Ling's hands practically up Lan Fan's shirt.

After that she stepped outside with Xiao May and took in the view of the vast world of sand about her. There were shrubs and sparse bits of grass here and there but for the most part it was all sand. It was still cold out but the sun was just beginning to peek over the horizon- they would need to leave soon if they wanted to beat the heat and make it to a halfway point on time, especially with Lan Fan's automail.

While Xiao May scampered about, Mei saw some cacti in the distance. She recalled Ling's blanket that morning, a sort of silent peace offering, and sighed. Okay. So she hadn't won the Philosopher's Stone. But her half-brother had and even if it didn't mean she would be crowned empress, befriending and trusting Ling Yao was the next best option for protecting her clan and she decided that maybe playing nice wouldn't kill her and then bounded off into the sand.

When she came back inside, Ling and Lan Fan were both up and tearing down camp. Apparently they had had the same thought. The less moving under the sun, the better.

"Morning, Princess," Ling greeted, handing over a bowl of lukewarm oatmeal . "Eat up, we gotta make up for lost time today."

Mei muttered around her mouthful that she had said that yesterday.

"Yeah, well we all needed a rest and Lan Fan has to be careful in the sun," Ling Said, ignoring the slight hurt expression Lan Fan wore for being called out.

"About that," Mei said, sitting cross legged on the ground and setting down an armful of cacti and succulent plants, "we won't get anywhere if we keep stopping like this for Lan Fan's arm."

Lan Fan drew up defensively. "I promise I'm fine on my own. There is no need to- what are you doing?"

Mei had ignored the outburst and started drawing transmutation circles around the plants and set one of their empty water jugs next to it. There was a flash of bright light and suddenly the jug was full of… something.

"What's that?" Ling asked.

"Desert plants are good for treating burns and making salves. I made a simple salve to put around your automail joint," Mei explained as she capped the jar and handed to Lan Fan. "It's not perfect since I don't have any real medicine to add to it but it should help some."

Lan Fan regarded the jar of ointment with wonder and stammered out a short, "Thank you, Mei."

It was amazing how less than a year ago the two girls had tried to kill each other despite being injured and now they were trying to see to it that the other didn't die a needless death.

After finishing their meager breakfast and tearing down the rest of their camp, the trio set off once again for Xing, in relatively good spirits.

Sadly, the desert was a cruel mistress, and those good spirits would soon wear off.

* * *

The sun was setting on the vast sea of sand that was the eastern desert; the sand was seemingly endless and went on unobscured for miles around except for a rather inconspicuous dome of rock jutting out of the ground.

Inside this sandstone rock, three travel weary travelers were gathered around a small fire. Mei sat on one side of the campfire, Xiao Mei at her side, while Lan Fan and Ling the other. Each were mulling over their own small bowl of rice, a tense silence having fallen over the group.

The same silence that fell every time it was brought up; the ever present presence that they could each sense with their heightened senses- the small vial of bright red liquid that was rarely far from Ling's side and never out of sight, sat atop a wooden crate just to the side of the fire.

They had been traveling for almost two weeks now, and Xing was growing closer and closer everyday. Soon they would be crossing the border back into their danger-riddled homeland.

Mei was the first to break the silence.

"So… what do we do with it?"

It was the same question all three of them had been tossing around since they left.

Ling sighed, as he always did when Mei posed this question.

"I don't know," he said, crossing his arms. "I have to present it to the emperor to be named heir but… after knowing what it's capable of…" He trailed off and the girls nodded, each all too well versed in the horrors of Philosopher Stones.

"The Emperor has no experience with alchemy himself," Lan Fan said softly. "Perhaps he would not be able to truly use it…"

"There's gonna be a lot of royal alkahests at his disposal. I'm sure he could order them to figure it out," Ling shot back. "So, let's assume he knows how to use it- what are the chances we're wrong and he doesn't abuse its power?"

Ling sounded like he was grasping at straws. Mei clenched her hands atop her thighs.

"When I was in the North with Dr. Marco… And he told me what it was made of, I knew I could never tell the Emperor how to make a Philosopher's Stone, because I knew he wouldn't hesitate to use his people in it."

Ling nodded solemnly. "Yeah. You're right. If he is desperate enough to send his own kids to risk their lives in such a wild goose chase, there's no telling what he would do to his poorer subjects."

" _My_ subjects," Mei whispered, voice strained. After a moment she practically shouted, "We can't give it to him, Ling!"

Lan Fan was instantly on the defensive while Ling just frowned. "I damn near died from having my body possessed by a monster for half a year trying to get this, I'm not just gonna give up now."

"If you give him the stone, he will just use it to kill more people!"

"I already told you, I'm not letting that happen!"

"How!"

"Mei," Lan Fan said calmly amidst the yelling, "the Young Lord is on your side, there is no point-"

"How can he be on my side," Mei snapped, standing and brushing the sand off her legs, "if he's honestly considering using that _thing_? It's… it's just people! Their lives are in there!"

"Don't you think I know that better than anyone? After what I went through with Greed? I'm not just going to let our father become another _Father,_ Mei!" Ling was trying to control his temper but everyone's nerves were shot due to the heat and exhaustion; not to mention Mei was proving very good at getting under his skin the way any younger sister could.

"There have to be other ways to obtain immortality. We need to destroy it!"

"Do you even know how to destroy a Philosophers Stone, Mei?" Lan Fan asked.

Mei flinched at that. "No… not really, but I saw Dr. Marco do it in the North so I think I can-"

"I'm not letting you risk something like that! You'll just wind up hurting yourself," Ling said. Mei took another step back and he hated the pained look that crossed her face. He had tried relentlessly to get her on his and Lan Fan's side since the day he carried her away from the Elrics but their old sibling rivalry was a hard thing to eradicate after just a few weeks. He could tell that Mei thought they were ganging up on her and was getting her back up.

"Don't act like you're worried about me, Ling Yao! You're just worried about the stone getting damaged!"

"Oh yeah? Well, maybe you don't care about your people at all and are just mad you didn't get the Philosopher's Stone first!"

Mei gasped and Ling knew he had crossed a line when he saw the tears welling up in her eyes. Her hand was a blur of movement and suddenly she was armed with her trusty kunai.

Lan Fan was instantly between them, assuming Mei meant to hurt her master, her own short blade drawn and ready. There was a tense silence in which Mei took in them both then much to their surprise Mei hurled the blades at the wall of the sandstone dome she had erected and quickly made a small exit. She grabbed her backpack and sleeping roll and stormed out.

"W-where are you going," Lan Fan called. Ling was up in a moment.

"You can't go out there alone in the night, you'll die!"

"I made this tent, I can make another. I'm going back to Xing on my own!"

Ling grabbed the girl about the waist.

"C'mon, I'm sorry, okay? Come back inside and we can- ow!" Xiao May had chomped down on his hand almost to the bone.

"Fine, be that way! Don't come with us!"

"I never wanted to come with you in the first place!" Mei yelled back with a sob and with a bright blue spark the hole in the wall was sealed up tight.

Ling was left grumbling at a blank slate and sucking on his injured hand. Lan Fan came up beside him to inspect the wound.

"She is just upset, Young Lord," Lan Fan muttered. "And nervous about when we return home. Please, don't be too harsh on her."

"You know I won't," he said with a small sigh, then a small smile. "Look at you defending the Chang Princess. When did you get so soft?"

He was graced with one of Lan Fans rare soft smiles. "I realized a while back that children killing children won't get us anywhere. If we truly want to reshape our nation," she continued, tying a small bandage around Ling's wounded hand, "then we have got to start working together."

"Yeah," Ling muttered bitterly, flexing her hand. "Try convincing _her_ of that."

* * *

The days in the desert were hot, but the nights were so cold you could easily freeze to death. Luckily, Mei could easily transmute temporary dwellings to protect them from the heat or cold as necessary. Crossing the desert with an alchemist was a lot easier than without.

She not only was able to make protective structures, but Mei could also transmute the water from inside wild plants and cacti, and also tended to Lan Fan's side when the sun threatened to burn her flesh where the automail junction met her skin. And, to top things off, the casket their team of horses drew behind them was sealed alchemically, so it wouldn't suffer in the extreme desert heat.

Basically, without Mei, in their current situation, they'd be screwed. When the night had passed, Ling rolled around lazily for a bit and then finally rose and went to take a leak in the early morning light of dawn. He saw the smaller sandstone dome Mei must have created after their fight and decided to give her a minute to wake up before he went to apologize. They were almost back to Xing and Lan Fan was right- they truly needed to work together from here on out.

Ling got dressed and stole a few of the skewered dried fish Lan Fan was preparing for breakfast. Popping one in his mouth, he made his way over to Mei's sleeping quarters and knocked on the outer wall.

"Hey, wake up, little sister," he called in a jovial tone around the skewer in his mouth. "I bring peace offerings."

After waiting and getting no reply, Ling shrugged and crouched down at the entrance.

"Alright, you better be dressed," he called loudly, half covering his eyes, "cause I'm coming in-..."

He looked around but the little sandstone tent was empty. Hrm.

He crawled back out and scarfed down the remaining fish skewers, rubbing his head in confusion. Maybe Mei had also run off to use the bathroom and needed more privacy- girls were weird like that.

It wasn't until he heard Lan Fan's worried shout that he began to grow suspicious.

"My Lord! Mei's horse is gone!"

"Dammit, she really ran off," Ling muttered to himself.

A cold chill suddenly shot down his spine and he began frantically searching his pockets. When he found it he sighed. Okay, so she didn't run off with the Philosophers Stone. That was a relief.

But he still sighed in frustration. He couldn't just let an injured little girl run off into the desert no matter how obnoxious she was being. Lan Fan was at his side in an instant, a worried look on her face. The only reason she had made it this far was due to Mei's healing abilities.

"She can't have gone far," Ling said, hoisting himself in his saddle. "Stay here in case she comes back, I'll see if I can find her."

"Yes, my lord but…."

"But what?" He was feeling impatient but he always listened to what Lan Fan had to say.

"You're headed toward Xing but…" Lan Fan turned in the direction of the West. "You don't think perhaps…"

Ling swore under his breath. "She did say she wanted to talk to that Doctor about destroying the stone… she isn't really that dumb is she!? To backtrack weeks worth of travel?"

"I don't know. She has been reluctant since the beginning…And there are many people she had to leave behind."

"At least they're alive!" Ling barked, anger rising, tugging at the reigns of his horse. "I swear once I catch that runt, I'm _throttling_ her."

Ling quickly spurred his mount into a gallop, and crested a hill, 100% ready to scour the desert for a little Xingese princess- much to his chagrin, he practically barreled into her the second he topped the hill.

"Waaah!" She shrieked as their horses reared in fear. She managed to stay on but Ling was thrown from his mount. "Ling! What are you doing! What's the rush?"

Ling rubbed his head angrily. "Mei! What the hell are you doing! Why are you-" he cut himself off when he saw Mei's bags and saddle were filled with more desert plants, cacti and water.

"What… what are you doing," he mumbled, defeated and confused.

"Just… gathering some more provisions." Mei replied sheepishly. "There's, um, a spring that way."

Ling glanced in the way she had pointed. They were close enough to Xing now that the land was beginning to be overtaken by coarse shrubs and trees.

"Really? What a relief… I… I honestly thought you had run off back to Amestris."

Mei made a face. "I'm not that stupid. Besides, I... need to return home to my clan."

"Yeah, I know," Ling smiled a bit bashfully. "Guess the sun's finally starting to get to me. Let's grab Lan Fan and check out that spring."

Once Ling managed to recapture and remount his horse, the two headed back to camp to fetch Lan Fan. Ling was so excited that Mei had not run away and about the prospect of a spring that he didn't catch the guilty looks Mei and Xiao Mei exchanged.

* * *

Ling groaned in pleasure as they finally came upon the little spring, surrounded by dense shrubs and trees and tall grass. Small woodland creatures were startled at their approach and fish gleamed in the sunlight.

"I know what we're having for dinner!" Ling said cheerfully, quickly hopping off his horse and practically drooling over the fresh fish. "Mei, can you make me a fishing pole? Never mind, I can just make a spear with a reed and a knife and-"

Mei and Lan Fan both exchanged looks of exasperation that he could be thinking of food at a time like this.

"Well, while you procure dinner, Young Lord, I think Mei and I will attempt to have a proper bath."

"Eh?" Ling said, already half waded into the water. "Really? We're just gonna get dirty and sweaty again tomorrow."

Mei made a face, pulling her sticky clothes from her body. "Just cause _you're_ content be a sweaty, gross boy doesn't mean _we_ are, Ling."

Lan Fan shot Mei a look for insulting Ling but… she also had to agree. She would trade her remaining arm for a nice bath right now, so she followed the young girl to the water's edge.

* * *

"Is…. is this really necessary?"

Lan Fan had begun undressing but was caught off guard when Mei erected a sort of partition between them and Ling, despite the spring having plenty of natural coverage.

"I don't want that pervert peeking at us while we bathe," Mei said as she removed her outer robes. Lan Fan flushed in anger.

"The Young Lord is not the type to behave so brutishly or low as some peeping Tom! He is to be our Emperor and is of better moral character than that!"

Lan Fan wilted under the scrutinizing look Mei gave her then, expecting some sort of rebuttal. She was shocked when the younger girl just shrugged and said, "If you say so."

The water was surprisingly cool despite the heat, perhaps due to the shade of the trees. The girls sighed in relief as the dirt and sand was washed from their skin. Lan Fan carefully lowered her automail arm into the water- it stung when the water made contact with the inflamed flesh but she reveled in the feeling of water rushing over her.

"Is your arm okay?" Mei asked, coming to her side, concerned. Despite their bickering, Lan Fan had come to realize Mei had a big heart and couldn't stand seeing people suffering around her. She hoped that their truce could continue even as they crossed into their homeland.

"Yes. It should be. Thank you for all your help, Mei. I am glad you didn't leave as the Young Lord thought. I don't know if I could have made it this far without you."

Unlike Ling, Lan Fan _did_ catch the guilty look on Mei's face.

"Mei… what's on your mind?"

Mei sighed and reached up to begin undoing her many braids and buns.

"I… I did leave. This morning. I was so mad, I really did plan on going back to Amestris myself."

Lan Fan looked shocked but she had to admit she wasn't too surprised. Mei was strong willed and hot headed and a penchant for doing what she wanted despite the danger it proved herself.

"So you really did plan to track down Dr. Marco?"

"I… I don't know," Mei muttered, running her hands through her now loose hair. It was so long and spread about her in the pool of water, threatening to pull her under with the current. Mei looked suddenly very young and very vulnerable in that moment. "I don't know what I was thinking. I don't know if I wanted to find Dr. Marco, or ask Mr. Scar for help or check on Alphonse-sama-" here she practically choked on her words and brought her hands to her face.

"I think I just…," the girl muttered into her hands, voice tiny. "I just don't want to go home a failure."

Lan Fan could understand that. Mei had been sent on the same hair brained mission they had- she had seen her own fair share of hell and misery- and what was she bringing back to show for it? Nothing but scars and nightmares.

"You are not a failure, Mei," Lan Fan said softly, searching for any words that could comfort the young girl. "You did a lot of amazing things while in Amestris. And I know you gave up your chance at the Philosopher's Stone to help that Hawkeye lady."

Mei glanced up, surprised. "How did you know that?"

"The Young Lord spoke with Colonel Mustang before we left; he knows all of what you did and holds you in high regard for it."

Mei just scowled to herself as if she couldn't believe it.

"I mean it; we both know what you're capable of. So long as you stay on our side and aid us as we return to Xing, your clan will be protected as well as all those who will stand beside us. Our Clan may not be as low as yours but we have a lot rings to climb before we will be accepted and we need all the friends we can get. It may not be the victory you were hoping for but it is something you can return with and give to your Clan."

Mei was quiet for a long time and Lan Fan thought the girl wasn't going to answer until finally she said, "I became an alkahest to protect my people. My clan is full of hard working, kind hearted people but we are poor and plagued by many sicknesses and don't have access to proper medicine. I thought if I dedicated my life to making people better then we would be okay… I can't just hand them over to be fodder for another Philosopher's Stone."

Lan Fan frowned. She had always reversed her master for his strength and never questioned his position as a prince- now she wondered how cruel the world could be to put the burden of a whole population on such a young person's shoulders.

"Mei… why did you return? If you fear so for your people?"

Mei glanced up, big eyes shining, suddenly looking bashful. "I… I couldn't just leave… not with your arm…"

Lan Fan was truly shocked at that. _Her?_ Mei had come back for her sake?

She watched as Mei took a deep breath and dove completely underwater. She allowed herself a small smile. She shouldn't be so surprised.

Just as Mei had sacrificed her chance to get the Stone to save Miss Hawkeye, she couldn't leave behind someone who immediately needed her help. It was nice to know some of the Emperor's children had kind hearts beside her master.

She hoped, in the end, that wouldn't spell both their deaths.

* * *

"Lan Fan, would you like help with your hair?"

Lan Fan glanced up from where she was scrubbing her automail. Mei had been joyously splashing around with Xiao Mei for a bit and was now at her side.

With her injured arm it was difficult to undo the top knot she had her hair in. She had planned on letting it go unwashed but after seeing Mei scrub the dirt and sweat out of her own hair made her somewhat envious.

"Um. Yes, please if you don't mind."

Mei smiled and reached up to unwind Lan Fan's hair, Mei's long black tresses clinging to her body as she shifted out of the water. She couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy over that as well- she had worn her hair long as a young girl but had taken to cutting it shorter when she became a bodyguard.

It must have taken Mei several years to grow her hair that long, Lan Fan thought as Mei unbound her hair and brushed through it with her fingers.

"Mei…"

"Hmmm?"

"How old are you?"

Lan Fan finally really took in the girl's body as she returned to the water, wringing out her own hair- despite her complaints of privacy before the Chang princess didn't seem to be very modest about being naked outdoors. She couldn't help but wonder if she wasn't as young as she had previously thought.

"Oh, um, I turned thirteen while in Amestris. My birthday was at the end of the year."

So Mei was twelve when she left Xing. That was still surprisingly young. Lan Fan couldn't really judge. She had only recently turned fifteen herself.

 _Children shouldn't fight children,_ Lan Fan thought. _And yet we're destined to finish the fights our parents started._

* * *

Once the girls were thoroughly soaked and scrubbed, they took some time to wash their soiled riding clothes and joined Ling by the fire while they dried and cooked all the fish Ling had managed to catch.

With clean clothes and full bellies they were all in higher spirits than they had been in a while. They ate in a comfortable silence that had not been there at the outset of their journey.

"So…," Ling began after wiping his mouth on the back of his sleeve. "Xing's border is about a day away. Thing's are gonna get real gritty from here on out."

Lan Fan and Mei nodded, each bracing herself for what was to come.

"The Imperial City is probably about another week's travel from here, if we act quickly and don't run into any trouble. I'd like to head home first to bury Fu, but after that…"

He met eyes with Lan Fan and she nodded, her eyes made of steel. "Right. Time to take the throne."

Both Ling and Lan Fan turned to Mei then who faltered under the sudden intensity.

"And _you,_ Chang?"

"Me?"

"What will you do?" Lan Fan asked quietly. "Will you come with us? We can see to it that you are safely returned to your family if you wish…"

Mei paused and mulled that over, exchanging a pensive glance with Xiao Mei. She couldn't believe they were giving her a choice.

After a moment she squared her shoulders and set her jaw. In the end, she never really had a choice.

"I'm going with you," she said, eyes set with the same steel as Lan Fan's. Ling and Lan Fan smiled.

"Now that's what I like to hear," Ling said excitedly. He leaned forward and held out his fist. Both girls hesitated.

"We're gonna reform this nation from the ground up and I can't do it without you. Both of you."

Lan Fan reacted first, a determined smile on her face and bumped her fist with Ling's. Mei gave a defeated sigh and a small smile and added hers as well.

"Great! Tonight, the desert. Tomorrow, Xing. From there on out, it's to Hell and back, so get your beauty sleep tonight, ladies."

* * *

That night was cold. They all slept restlessly, but it was the first night Mei didn't sleep in her own separate quarters. Despite deciding to side with her older half-brother, Mei still felt on edge. With Xiao Mei curled up under her blanket, Mei held her close, the only living creature she had ever considered a close friend.

"I hope I'm doing the right thing, Xiao Mei," she whispered. She glanced over her shoulder where Lan Fan and Ling were already asleep in their own mats. Despite deciding to join them, Mei felt so alone, as if she was the only one truly fighting for her clan's well being.

"I hope we can really trust them," she whispered into Xiao Mei's fur, tears pricking her eyes. Trusting Ling Yao was her only hope.

That night she shivered, alone, and cried herself to sleep again. But she awoke in the night sweaty and tangled in a mass of limbs.

Mind muddled by sleep it took her a moment to realize that both Ling and Lan Fan had settled themselves on either side of her in the night, keeping her warm, and tangling themselves up in the process. Lan Fan's automail was heavy on her chest and her hair was a mess; Ling was practically drooling on her, with a hand up his shirt and his stomach exposed. She shared incredulous looks with Xiao Mei and then just sighed, accepting that these were the fools she was entrusting her life and Clan to.

 _Dummies,_ she thought, tears pricking her eyes again, but a small smile pulled at her lips, and so she curled up to catch a few more hours of sleep and peace before setting foot into Hell.


	5. Welcome Back to the World of the Living

**I love Izumi and Sig so much and I could watch a mini series of them being great and awesome pseudo-parents :') Also, I really like Mason and wish he had more screen time in the anime, but if you don't really know who he is, he is the Curtises employee but he also helps look after (and also...kinda roughs up) the boys when they are training on the island.**

 **Characters: Izumi, Sig, Mason, Ed and Al (And a Mei Chang cameo!)**

 **Relationship: Good ol' family bonding.**

 _ **Welcome Back to the World of the Living**_

Ed's arm ached in a way he hadn't felt in a long time as he managed a few curls with one of the weights the hospital had supplied them. The wound from his surgery was mostly healed and he wasn't _really_ supposed to be weight lifting yet but he had never been the patient sort and he wanted to regain the lost muscle mass quickly.

Sadly, even after only a couple of reps his arm began to hurt and his face betrayed his pain.

Al looked up from what he was writing to frown and scold his older brother. "Ed, you shouldn't be doing that yet. You're just going to hurt yourself."

"I know, I know," Ed mumbled, rolling his shoulder and attempting a couple more.

"Brother! You're going to open your wound again."

"Sheesh, okay," Ed grumbled, setting aside the weight, not wanting to admit he agreed and that his arm was screaming in pain. "You're worse than Winry when it comes to maintaining automail."

"Yeah, well, you suck at that, too," Al shot back in a teasing voice before returning to what he was writing.

Ed had a come back prepared but he got distracted as he noticed Al writing in his blue journal- wasn't that for the stuff he wanted to eat when he got his body back? What could he be adding now?

"Hey, whatcha writin?"

Al practically jumped at Ed's voice just over his shoulder. Al quickly closed his journal and said, "Oh, nothing!"

Ed had only been mildly curious before but after that reaction the hint of a blush on his younger brother's face he really wanted to know then.

"C'moooon," he whined, "let me see!"

"No, you'll just laugh like you did when I said I wanted to eat Winry's apple pie!"

"No, I won't!" Ed objected and tried to desperately grab at the journal Al kept just out of his reach.

Before their squabble could turn into an all out brawl there came a knock on the door and when they saw who stepped through the door they both forgot about the journal completely.

"Teacher!" Both boys exclaimed.

Izumi Curtis stepped into the room followed by her husband Sig and Mason. She had a smirk on her face.

"Are we… interrupting something?"

"What are you doing here?" Ed asked as the three came to stand by Al's bed.

"Figured we would stop by and pay our favorite guys a visit," Izumi replied. Sig and Izumi took turns giving the boys hugs then Mason gave them both fist bumps.

"Lookin' good there, Alphonse," Mason said with a broad grin.

Al returned the smile and said, "It's nice seeing you again!"

"Not to be rude, but you seem a lot shorter since the last time I saw you," Mason jested and Al had to laugh. He was very glad _not_ to be seven foot tall anymore. "So how's hospital life treating you two? Going stir crazy yet?"

"Kinda," Ed replied, bitterly. "They don't really let you do anything here, and have a strict No Fun policy."

"No fun policy?" Izumi asked, arching a brow.

"No, they have a "no riding the back of your brother's wheelchair and crashing into medical carts" policy," Al said flatly.

Izumi shot Ed a stern look but Mason and Sig both laughed.

"Well, you gotta do something to liven up this place or you'll go insane," Mason said with a grin and Ed nodded.

"Yeah, most of the time they just prod us with stuff or come bend my arm back until I think it's gonna break. And we keep getting harassed by news reporters and the media, so we never get any peace."

"Reporters?"

"No one really understands what really happened so the military is trying to keep things hushed up for a bit so people don't freak out more than they are," Al explained soberly. "So, we've been ordered to keep silent about everything until the military offers a proper statement."

"People shouldn't be bothering you two while you're recuperating," Izumi said with a frown. "You're just kids after all."

"Apparently word of the famous Elric brothers' involvement has gotten out, so," Ed shrugged in a "what are you gonna do" sort of way. Izumi opened her mouth as if to tell him _exactly_ what she was going to do when Ed then noticed Mason had a couple of bags in his hand.

"What's with the bags?"

"Oh! Also, we come bearing gifts," Mason replied with another smile and held them out.

Mason set the bags on Al's bed and after Alphonse rifled through them he realized they were all filled with...

"Clothes?" Al pulled out a couple of t-shirts and a pair of black pants.

"They're mostly just some of Mason's old things," Izumi explained. "They'll be a bit big on you but we figured Sig's clothes would absolutely drown you."

"Oh, they're for me? You don't have to do that," Al replied, sounding a bit bashful. "I don't want to take Mason's clothes."

"Yeah, well a little blonde birdy told us _someone_ needed some new clothes," Izumi replied with smile, winking at Ed. Al glared at his brother for making people worry about him while Ed glared at Izumi for the "little" remark (he kept all retorts to himself, though, for fear of Izumi's wrath extending his hospital stay).

"Don't look at me like that," Ed grumbled at his brother. "I just mentioned it in passing, this is all their idea."

"Well, thank you all, so much," Al said gratefully, glad he had people who cared about him.

"Don't thank us yet," Izumi went on. "These are just so you have something presentable when we go out."

"G-go out?"

"Yup! You've been cooped up in here for long enough, right? We figured we'd take you both out for a real meal and pick you up some nice clothes, Al."

Ed pumped both arms in the air in excitement, ready to ditch this hell hole, but Al balked at the notion of the Curtises spending so much money on him.

"Teacher- ah- thank you, but you really don't have to, I'm fine with just this-"

He was cut off by the dark, fiery look Izumi gave him and he shrank back in fear.

"Are you telling me what I can and can't do, Alphonse Elric?" She asked in a menacing voice, cracking her knuckles.

"N-n-no," Al squeaked in a tiny voice. Izumi smiled and was suddenly sunshine and rainbows when she said,

"Okay, then, that's settled. Get dressed and then we will decide where to eat."

A few minutes later Izumi, Sig, and Mason had stepped out to let the boys change. Ed had quickly dug out some torn up black jeans and a red sweatshirt; the clothes were a bit big for him as well, but they sagged off Al's thin frame.

Ed wondered if that's why it took Alphonse so long to change. He was pretty sure Al had tried on each pair of pants three times and each shirt six. He would pull something on then grumble about it then switch it for something else.

"Hurry up," Ed whined, "I'm dying to eat some real food again."

"Oh, gee, I wonder what that feels like," Al replied sarcastically, pulling on a blue tank top then tugging where the collar fell past his collar bone.

"You know what I mean. And it doesn't matter what you wear, you heard Teacher, we're going to get you some proper clothes anyway."

"Yeah, I know, it's dumb," Al agreed with a laugh, taking the tank top off again and looking through all his options. "I can't believe they really want to take us out."

"Yeah," Ed smiled, then, a bit more seriously, "that's okay with you right? I really didn't think they had something like this planned. If you don't want to go yet, I can tell them…"

"No, I'm actually really excited," Al said with a smile. "I can't wait to go out and people actually see me as a human again."

Ed smiled, relieved. That was all he had wanted for the last five years.

Al finally settled on some khaki slacks (that had to be rolled up a bit at the bottom) and a dark grey turtleneck (because he could pull the sleeves over his bony hands and it hid his thin neck). None of it fit very well but he hoped that the roominess would help hide how emaciated he looked.

When they called that they were dressed, Izumi stepped back in and smiled at them both.

"Well, don't you boys look nice. Sig's at the front desk talking about checking you out right now. Now, where do you boys want to eat?"

They spent a few minutes rambling off different places and Al was so excited about each one it was hard to pick. They were all laughing when Sig came back in, frowning.

"What's wrong, dear?" Izumi asked.

"They said we can't take the boys out until they are properly discharged."

"What? Why not? They're fine and only being kept as a precaution at this point."

"Apparently, without proper legal guardians, they're considered wards of the state and we have no say in when they can or can't leave. I'm sorry, boys," Sig said with a frown, obviously heartbroken that he couldn't spend the day with the Elric brothers.

Both Ed and Al exchanged defeated looks of disappointment.

Izumi's frown turned into a deep, angry grimace. She apparently wasn't willing to accept this as quickly as her husband. Despite her angry expression her voice was calm and almost sweet as she said,

"Wait here, dear. I'd like to have a word with them."

Ed and Al never found out what Izumi said to change their minds, but ten minutes later the Elrics were signing out for temporary leave from the hospital while all the nearby doctors and nurses seemed to shake as their Teacher walked by.

"Alright," Izumi said with a bright smile on her face and hands on her hips. "First thing's first- time to get you boys some proper clothes."

"Wha?" Ed said in surprise. "Both of us? I've still got some clothes back home, so-"

"You seem to have grown a little bit taller, there, Edward," Sig replied with a small smile. "I think you could do with an updated wardrobe, too."

Ed didn't argue anymore after that, eyes filled with tears that someone had finally called him _tall_. They followed Mason, Sig and Izumi to the nearest clothing shop, passing a lot of shops on their way. Al wasn't strong enough to manage such a trek in his current state so Ed pushed him in a wheelchair they borrowed from the hospital. Al was so excited by absolutely _everything_ , he was constantly turning about in his seat and exclaiming at (relatively mundane) things.

Ed thought Al was going to lose it when they passed by a bakery. Al practically knocked the wheelchair over as he craned to get a good look at all the breads and pastries in the window.

"Would you calm down and sit still!" Ed snapped. "You're gonna run over my one good foot."

"Brother, look! Look at all the cakes they have," Al was so excited he completely ignored Ed's muttering and cupped his hands about his face to get a better look at the goods in the window. Ed sighed, defeated. He glanced up where Izumi, Sig and Mason were discussing directions with a local. He figured they had a little time to kill and he rolled his little brother into the bakery.

The bell jingled above the door as they entered and a young woman greeted them warmly. She did a double take at Al's appearance but had the good nature not to say anything. Luckily, Al didn't seem to notice the weird looks he got from the shop keeper or other customers, he was too distracted by all the amazing smells.

"Ooh, what's this one?" He asked pointing at a row of jiggly palm sized cakes.

"Something that will rot your teeth out," Ed said with a laugh. Al didn't seem to care nor could he seem to be able to pick which one he thought he wanted to try first. "Al, we're getting lunch soon, you'll ruin your appetite."

"But look how good these pastries look," Al said, looking not at all his 15 years and every bit like a six year old in a candy shop. Ed wilted and smiled, figuring if Al wanted to eat his weight in junk food, he had more than earned it.

"All right, all right, pick something but don't tell, Teacher."

"Can I help you two with anything?" The young woman behind the counter finally asked after having rung up the customers before them.

"Excuse me, but what are these?" Al asked.

"Oh, those are Cotton Cheesecakes. They're very light and fluffy, made with milk and cream and sugar and topped with fruit and powdered sugar."

Ed thought the description alone would make his stomach turn but Al looked excited and said he wanted to try one.

"Al, if you eat that you'll puke. Are you sure?"

Ed sighed as Al nodded and started fishing some money out of his pocket. Before he could hand over the money Izumi walked in.

"There you two are- what are you doing?"

"Whoops, busted," Ed said with a grin. He explained Al wanted to try some sweets and Izumi sighed.

"All right, but get something that won't ruin your appetite. You too, Ed," Izumi insisted and nudged his hand to put his money away. Ed chuckled with glee despite his earlier protests and while the boys talked over what they wanted Izumi leaned against the counter with a wistful smile.

The shop keeper leaned in and said quietly,

"What nice boys, are they yours?"

Izumi chuckled. "Uh, yeah, kind of."

The shopkeeper smiled again and began wrapping up the crepes Ed and Al had selected. While they were busy looking at an assortment of cookies to possibly purchase for Winry, Izumi got ready to checkout but the shopkeeper leaned in to whisper,

"Is… is it okay for him to have these?"

Izumi was confused until the pointed look the lady gave Alphonse behind his back. Ah.

"Yes, it's fine," Izumi replied curtly, hoping she didn't sound too snippy. The shop lady picked up on her tone and dropped Izumi's cenz into the till without saying anything else, a slight blush on her cheeks as she handed over their snacks.

The boys gratefully accepted the crepes and playfully bickered over who would get the bigger one. Ed playfully kept both of them just out of Al's reach and they were making a bit of a ruckus arguing so the shop keeper leaned in and asked, "I'm so sorry, but… is he going to be okay? Is he… sick?"

 _Dying_ , Izumi translated in her head. Izumi followed the woman's pointed look at Al who had finally managed to wrestle his treat back from Ed- both boys were laughing as Ed finally pushed Al back outside.

She smiled.

"No. He… was. But he's getting better now."

Ed felt more than awkward when they finally got to the clothing shop. The place was clearly directed at teens and young adults but it was a lot nicer fashion than he was used to. Ed was perfectly content in jeans and a t-shirt but he had to admit Al seemed excited about wearing something a bit nicer.

Izumi and Sig both insisted the boys pick out a few things, but Al seemed a bit self conscious about buying something he was going to outgrow soon anyway.

A tailor took both of their measurements. Ed fretted the whole time and wiggled, uncomfortable with anyone who was armed with measuring tape- his true height was a secret only he (and, his mechanic) knew and he would take it to his grave if he could.

Finally, Ed was fitted in some nice jeans and a sweatshirt. Al shot him a look as he stepped out of a changing room.

"Is that really what you're wearing, brother?"

"What? It's comfy!" Ed said with a grin as he rolled up his sleeves. Al resisted the urge to roll his eyes and entered the changing room next. After several minutes had passed, Ed began to sweat, wondering if Al had maybe passed out ( _you're being paranoid, he's fine!_ ) and just when he was about to call out to him, Al stepped out.

Ed grinned. Al definitely had a better taste in clothes than he had. He had on some slim fit khakis, and a black v-neck sweater over a starched white collar shirt. Everything fit much better than Mason's old stuff did but was just a bit roomy so he could still grow into them.

Al was fiddling with a tie loose about his neck, his cheeks going the same shade of red as the tie.

"Do you… do you know how to tie one of these?"

"Uuuuhhh…" Ed muttered and made an attempt.

"You boys okay?" Came Sig's soft voice from behind them a moment later. Both flinched and Sig laughed at the knotted mess Ed had made of Al's tie.

Sig stepped up and untied it and retied it perfectly, going slow to show Al the steps. Al flushed a bit again and smoothed it out, giving a small grateful, "Thank you, Mr. Sig."

When they emerged from the fitting area, Izumi and Mason greeted them both with broad smiles.

"Well, don't you look nice," Izumi said to them both while Mason clapped Alphonse about the shoulders (almost knocking the frail boy off his feet).

"Looking good man," he said jovially. "Welcome back to the world of the living."

Shortly after, they packed up their extra purchases and Mason volunteered to take them back to the hospital then meet up with everyone at the restaurant they picked. Ed and Sig helped load everything into a cab and for a moment it was just Izumi and Al.

Al was using a borrowed walking crutch from the hospital, resting on it with one hand and fiddling with his clothes and hair with the other, checking himself in the mirror. He was unaware of the way his former teacher watched him, misty eyed and in awe.

"Do I really look okay?" Al asked quietly when Izumi stepped up beside him.

"Of course, Alphonse. You look wonderful," Izumi replied warmly.

She watched as Al's expression fell and he averted his eyes.

"Are you okay, Al?"

"Everyone… looks at me like I'm… really sick. That lady thought I was dying, didn't she?" Izumi had forgotten how perceptive Al could be and that made her heart ache. He laughed a little self consciously but she could hear the emotion bubbling under his voice. "I just want to yell, "no! I'm alive! I'm living! _Finally_!"

He chuckled a bit to himself as he diverted his gaze from his teacher. "That's pretty dumb isn't it? Sorry…"

"No, it's not."

Al was in turn shocked by the emotion in his teacher's voice and balked when he saw tears in her eyes.

"Wha- no, Teacher, please don't-" he cut himself off when she stepped up and gently pulled him into a warm hug. He didn't know what to say so after a moment he just wrapped his arms around her in return (a little awkward with the walking stick and all).

"I'm okay- I promise- I'm sorry, I'm okay, _really_ ," he muttered into her shoulder. She was still a bit taller than him. Despite his words of comfort (and slight embarrassment) Al was actually really grateful for her to hold him like that- he had been hugged several times since returning to his body and he quickly found it to be one of his favorite things.

"I know you are," her voice was a hoarse whisper, fighting back more tears. Alphonse felt terrible, he was _not_ a fan of making women cry and he just wanted to make her happy again. Sadly, he didn't realize, Izumi _was_ happy and that's exactly why she was crying. "I know you're okay, and you're going to keep being okay, and you _are_ alive."

She pulled back finally, smiling and wiping at her tear stained face. Al frantically searched his pockets for his new handkerchief but she laughed it off and used her own sleeve instead.

After a moment she straightened up and gave him a scrutinizing look, then straightened his tie a bit. She cocked her head a bit then smiled.

"Would you look at that, you look just like your father," she said.

"Really?"

Al smiled and couldn't hide the little bit of pride that made him feel. Ed may not have been the biggest fan of their dad but Al was hoping now that everything had calmed down they could rebuild their relationship from the ground up.

"Have you heard from him, yet?"

"No," Al admitted. "He ran off, that day, and we haven't seen him since. He probably still has a lot of stuff to take care of though!"

Al sounded quick to defend his father and also a bit optimistic about the man returning. The fact that the man hadn't shown up since that battle… that didn't sit well with Izumi and she assumed it wouldn't bode well for the Elric boys either, but she chose not to say anything for now.

Sig and Ed returned then and they began discussing lunch plans and they left the shop together, a ragtag little family in their own right.

Mason whistled a little tune to himself as he carried the Elric brothers' bags and packages over one shoulder. He waved good naturedly at one of the nurses, who paled when she saw him- apparently, she still recalled Izumi's wrath and didn't want to deal with any of her party.

He chuckled a little bit then entered the boys' room, picking up the discarded clothes from before and then setting each of their things at the ends of their beds. He stood there for a moment, hands on hips, looking at all the flowers, assorted thank you baskets, rows of get well cards- it was hard to believe that those wily blonde brats Izumi had taken under her wing so many years ago had made this big of an impact on so many people. Mason had started viewing the Curtises as family after they had helped him out of some hard times back in the day, and he had grown fond of the Elric brothers as well, thinking of them as his own sort of little brothers in a way. He was glad they were doing okay.

He was on his way out when the timid nurse from before peeked around the corner.

"Um, excuse me sir, are the Elric boys with you?"

"No," he said warily, hoping they weren't really expecting them back so soon. "Just dropping some stuff off."

"Oh, I see, well," the woman fumbled a bit with a pad of paper. "Well, they have a caller on the phone- and, um, I suppose they can't take a call if they aren't here, so…"

Mason gave the woman a kind smile. Wow, Izumi really did a number on these guys, he thought.

"Caller, huh?" He remembered the way the boys said they had been harassed by news reporters. He figured it was one of them. "What did he say?"

"It's, um, a girl, actually. She says she knows the Elrics…"

A girl, huh? Maybe it was Ed's mechanic, that Winry girl he got all flustered about?

Mason said he would take the call on their behalf; he wasn't sure if that was typically allowed but he got the feeling she would let him do whatever he wanted after tasting Izumi's wrath.

"Y'ello?"

"Um, hello?" Wow, this girl sounded way too young to be the squirt's girlfriend. "I'm supposed to be connected to the Elric brother's room. Who is this?"

"I could ask you the same thing," Mason said with a sardonic laugh. The girl sounded suddenly haughty and defensive after that.

"My name is Mei Chang, I'm calling from Xing. I was told this is where they are staying so may I please talk with one of them?"

"From Xing, huh?" Mason played along, assuming this was some kid playing a prank after hearing about all the hubbub. "That's pretty far away there, kiddo."

If she had been haughty before she was downright angry at being called "kiddo."

"Excuse you, sir, but I'll have you know I am not some _child_ and am in fact the Seventeenth Daughter of His Imperial Highness and Princess of Xing." Mason had to bite back his laughter, tears pricking his eyes. "I am trying to check on Edward and Alphonse Elric, so would you please let them know I called?"

"Sure thing, Princess," Mason said, hardly hiding the amusement in his voice. "Sadly, they aren't here right now."

"They aren't there?" She sounded genuinely crestfallen; maybe her friends had put her up to this and she didn't want to disappoint them? "Where… where did they go?"

"Out for a bit," Mason said curtly, growing hungry and tired of this game.

"Oh… okay. Will you at least let them know I called?" The girl rattled off a number they could return her call with but Mason didn't bother to write it down. He wasn't about to bother the boys with some kids' prank.

"Sure, thing, kiddo," Mason said with a grin and then he said bye and hung up quickly before the girl could scold him again.

A little while later Mason, Sig, Izumi, Ed and Al were all being seated at a nice Aerugonian restaurant.

Most of their time was spent playfully bickering and discussing what everyone should get.

Alphonse was mentally running through his list of "Food I Want to Eat" but was torn with all his options. In the end they all got something different and tried a bit of everyone's.

Al was so stuffed he didn't think he could manage dessert but when they showed him all the options that involved ice cream he caved and got a sundae to split with Ed.

In his excitement, sadly, he took way too big a bite and doubled over in pain.

Izumi and Ed both tensed up, afraid he had overdone it when he brought a slender hand to his head and looked up, teary eyed and mumbled, "B-brainfreeze."

Everyone laughed at him but Al didn't care. He had ice cream.

When they were finally back in their hospital room, Al was secretly grateful. Even though he hadn't really done that much he was both mentally and emotionally exhausted. Being human really took it out of you.

After the Curtises and Mason gave them all good bye hugs, Alphonse practically collapsed on his bed and groaned.

"You alright over there, buddy?" Ed asked with a chuckle in his voice.

"The nurses were right," came Al's muffled voice from the pillows. "I am so tired and sore right now."

Ed laughed but wondered if they really had over exerted him in their excitement. Healing and recovering were Al's number one priority right now, and he hoped they hadn't set him back any.

"Do I need to get a doctor, or…"

"No," Al said with a smile, looking up from his pillow. "It's a good kind of tired and sore."

Ed smiled and flopped back onto his bed as well. He couldn't wait til he and Al were released for real and they could go home and see Winry and Granny again. He knew Al had to be excited about it as well and he would give anything to see the look on Winry's face when he brought his little brother home, in the flesh. Al was still a long way off from going home anytime soon so he was grateful the Curtises had come by to cheer Al up.

Ed and Al relaxed on their beds for a bit and Ed honestly thought Al had fallen asleep after all the exertion so he jumped a little when he heard Al say, "It's so weird."

Al turned to him and smiled at Eds puzzled look.

"You know, just…" his younger brother made a broad gesture with his hands. "Everything. It's like a dream. I knew we always talked about getting our bodies back but… to think we actually did it."

"Yeah, I know. I can't believe it either. Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night and panic cause you're not sitting there, in your armor, next to me," Ed admitted with a regretful laugh. Al laughed too. "I still can't believe everything worked out." Ed flexed his hands, still adjusting to not having alchemy. "And without using a philosopher's stone."

Al made an "mm-hmm" reply and Ed thought his brother suddenly looked far away and contemplative, his cheery mood all but gone.

"I… I used one," Al said quietly after a moment.

"What?" Ed could hardly hear him. Al pushed himself up off his back so he sat raised up on his elbows.

"A philosopher's stone. I used one back when I was fighting Pride at the dome. I- … I didn't want to but Mr. Heinkel was hurt and Kimblee was there and-... I didn't know what else to do. I didn't _want_ to use it but I had to, brother."

"Hey, it's okay," Ed said in a soothing tone. Al still spoke quietly but sounded almost in hysterics by the end of his little speech. "You're not like Kimblee. You were trying to help people, it's not the same as what they were doing."

"Yeah. I know that." Al's hands fidgeted with the hem of his shirt a bit. "It still feels terrible though. Using… _people_."

"Yeah, I… I know what ya mean," Ed replied softly. Al gave him a curious look and Ed sighed then explained how he had used the souls attached to Envy when transmuting themselves out of Gluttony's belly.

At the end of his tale, Al kind of looked sick but he nodded and said, "I'm sorry you had to go through that, too, brother."

"Yeah," Ed said with a shaky breath. It was hard enough at the time but reliving it as he told his brother made it feel so real again. He hated that Alphonse knew what it felt like to use a living soul as an energy source, but he also felt a bit of solace knowing that it was something they went through together.

They had shared a penance for years, no reason to change that now.

They were both quiet for a while after that, each lost in thought and neither brave enough to ask what the other was thinking.

 _Welcome back to the world of the living_ , Ed thought, recalling Mason's words. After all the grief and sorrow and death left in their wake, he truly hoped that it really would welcome them back.

* * *

 **Dun dun dunnnnn~ What was Al writing in his journal? Will Mason ever tell the boys they got a phone call!? Is Winry's apple pie REALLY that great!? Tune in next week to find out! (or...whenever I update again. eep)Thanks for all the reviews guys, they really mean a lot to me. I havent replied to any yet but I may try to next chap! Any suggestions on who you want to read about next?**

 **How many times did we say "brother" this chap? Answer: 21. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)**


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